Oil and Antifreeze Recycling in Saskatchewan

The Saskatchewan Association for Resource Recovery Corp. (SARRC) is a not-for-profit corporation formed by the oil, filter, antifreeze and diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) industry in Saskatchewan to develop, implement and maintain a single, cost-effective, province-wide Used Oil, Filter, Antifreeze and Oil/Antifreeze/DEF Container Recycling Program.  The association, incorporated February 12, 1996, is operated on behalf of SARRC’s member organizations, in accordance with The Used Petroleum and Antifreeze Products Collection Regulations. SARRC added antifreeze and antifreeze/DEF containers to the Used Oil, Filter & Container Recycling Program April 1, 2014.

Since the program began, and as of Dec. 31, 2020, 394.9 million litres of oil, 41 million oil filters, 7.5 million kgs of plastics (7500 tonnes) has been recycled; and since inception on April 1, 2014, 1.72 million litres of used antifreeze has been recycled.

  • One litre of used oil can contaminate one million litres of water. Also, ethylene glycol antifreeze is highly toxic to humans, pets and wildlife. Significant environmental damage can result from the used oil from just one oil change.

  • In Saskatchewan, you can recycle any petroleum or synthetic crankcase oil, engine oil, hydraulic fluid, transmission fluid, gear oil, heat transfer fluid or other fluid used for lubricating purposes in machinery or equipment.

    Ensure your used oil is not contaminated with such things as water, antifreeze, paint or solvent. If it is, please contact your local municipality about where you can recycle this material.

    Also do not contaminate antifreeze with oil or any other fluids. The public can also call selected registered collectors, or the SARRC office, for information about disposal of contaminated materials.

    What types of oil filters are recyclable?

    Any spin-on or element oil filter used in hydraulic, transmission or internal combustion engine applications can be recycled. This includes diesel fuel filters but does not include gasoline fuel filters.

  • For do-it-yourself mechanics, farmers and small businesses, used oil, filters, antifreeze, and oil/antifreeze/diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) containers can be taken to one of the nearly 200 year-round independent recycling facilities including 37 EcoCentres available in almost 200 communities province-wide. Click here for a list of recycling facilities. For businesses and farmers generating large volumes, contact a registered collector to pick up your used oil materials on site. Click here for a list of collectors.

    SARRC can also be reached by calling its toll free telephone number at 1-877-645-7275.

  • Contact one of SARRC’s registered collectors who will make arrangements to pick up used oil and antifreeze materials at a business or in the community. Click here for the list of Collectors or call SARRC’s toll free phone number 1-877-645-7275.

    • Used oil is reprocessed into re-refined lubricating oil, industrial burner fuel and other products.

    • Used filters are crushed to retrieve the used oil. Then the filters are processed into structural metal shapes for the manufacturing of industrial and agricultural products.

    • Used antifreeze is reprocessed back into reusable antifreeze.

    • Used plastic oil/antifreeze/DEF containers and pails are recycled into industrial posts, railroad crossings, plastic pipe and new containers. Plastic 20-litre pails may also be refilled with bulk lubricants, or cleaned and re-used for a wide number of applications.

  • The program is funded by an Environmental Handling Charge (EHC) assessed on new oil, oil filters, antifreeze and plastic oil/antifreeze/DEF containers at the first point of sale or distribution in Saskatchewan. The EHC is not a government tax, but a user-paid levy and is used solely to operate the collection of used oil, used oil filters, used antifreeze, and used plastic oil/antifreeze/DEF containers (up to 50-litre capacity).

    A detailed list of the EHCs is available on SARRC’s website here.

  • For more information, visit www.usedoilrecyclingsk.com or call 1-877-645-7275

 
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